If you had to use $10,000 to start a small business, what would you do?

[breakingcontact]

This $ falls out of the sky and you have to use it to start a business, not invest or pay off debt.

I know I was talking to a very successful small business owner recently. I was asking him kind of the same question, what would he do if he were starting a business today? Even though he is in IT now, he basically said "lawn care" and just keep adding trucks and crews.

What's it going to be. Start your business.

*If this belongs in another section, move it. It may help someone looking for work though.

 

[Vaquero]

Guardrail repair/replacement. State contract.
Just enough capital there to cover equipment rental for a few months.
State contract will get you a line of credit.

 

[vmax]

service business of some sort. Pool service, lawn service, house cleaning.

virtually no inventory, low skilled, low cost labor, minimum start up money needed.

 

[orbitup]

Buy 4X4s here and haul them to Denver. Buy 4X2s there and haul them back. Repeat.

 

[Vaquero]

service business of some sort. Pool service, lawn service, house cleaning.

virtually no inventory, low skilled, low cost labor, minimum start up money needed.

You better be ready to turn down work.
Those will overload you in a hurry.
You knew that though.

 

[Vaquero]

Buy 4X4s here and haul them to Denver. Buy 4X2s there and haul them back. Repeat.

Hmmm.

 

[breakingcontact]

Any money in repairing small engines any more?

 

[orbitup]

Any money in repairing small engines any more?

maybe marine engines.

 

[99taws6]

Small saltwater fish store

 

[breakingcontact]

I like Vaqs idea of getting hooked in with the state. Also anything where you can get passive income like with a service agreement or contract that pays just to have you on call seems lucrative if done right.

 

[Army 1911]

Professional gambler....buy lottery tickets
Take out an ad in a magazine (small want ad type) that says Interested in making money? Send me $5 and a self addressed stamped envelope for my guaranteed system of making money. The answer of course is to take out an ad like mine.

 

[Coop45]

I'd start a skivvy house because my mom needs a job.

 

[TheDan]

Sell jerky at gun shows.

 

[breakingcontact]

Sequined purses FTW!

 

[matefrio]

Get a table at a gun show. Make it the "Private Sale" table that collects what folks are selling and how much along with contact information. Make money bringing seller and buyer together. Have an online app that advertises outside the show as well. Setup cameras etc and displays.

 

[PhulesAu]

Guardrail repair/replacement. State contract.
Just enough capital there to cover equipment rental for a few months.
State contract will get you a line of credit.

yeah but you'll need a couple million up front in insurance coverage.

 

[TheDan]

With only $10k it would have to be something you can do out of your home. Getting permission will likely cost $2500. Perhaps more; damn near everything requires licensing here. Around another $2500 for your liability policy. They might let you pay monthly on that, tho. Doesn't leave much for equipment. You going to use your personal vehicle for it? Invite clients (strangers) into your house? Lots to think about.

I'd probably be a junk man. Hauling off stuff for people for little to nothing and salvaging as much as I can. Fixing and reselling some things, scrapping the rest. Best time to do this was a few years ago, but we're headed for another crash soon and the price of salvage will jump again.


This is a good thread.

Any money in repairing small engines any more?

I wish there was; I could easily do it.. The problem is you can buy a new one that will last a few years for less than it would cost in labor to fix an old one. The only money to be had doing this is finding broken ones for free, fixing them, and reselling. Very meager.

Also anything where you can get passive income like with a service agreement or contract that pays just to have you on call seems lucrative if done right.

Be careful choosing clients. The wrong one could really screw you.

 

[Younggun]

Not many gun ranges in my area. 10k would cover a lot of dirt work and some nice shooting benches.


Course, not a lot of people round here to support it. Probably better in thought than in practice when it comes to full time income.

Would need to pull at least $100/day profit to even be a thought. Not likely here.

 

[breakingcontact]

I've thought of buying a car and parting it out. Not sure how that would compete against the salvage yards but being near Austin, there should be some demand.

 

[breakingcontact]

My brother is always talking about buying a semi load of "store returns".

Apparently there are some folks out there doing this, some have store fronts, but most sell online. To me the issue with it seems to be your distribution and the opportunity cost of spending time listing/haggling/meeting.